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Joanne Gardner tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles

Q Can you help me locate a jigsaw printer for a promotional product. It is to have our company logo printed on it and needs to have around 300 pieces, so quite small. The run would also be small. Any ideas?
John Brooks, via email

A Unless we’re talking niche one-offs or large runs in China, jigsaws can be a puzzle hardly worth bothering with from a business perspective. They involve a laborious manufacturing process which is impractical and expensive: print image, mount onto board, laminate, die-cut and ‘break’ before bagging, which generally has to be done manually. The die-cutting part has its own problems because of the length of rule needed and the amount of force required (a machine like the Samco Four Pillar cutter would need around 350 tons of force to cut 750 pieces out of an A2). A cheaper option might be to have the pieces only half-cut to achieve a kind of perforated edge, so that it comes as a whole and is pulled apart before being put together again – like the puzzles you used to get in packs of breakfast cereals. But that could end up looking cheap. Anyway, chat to these jigsaw printers: Paul at Padblocks (0118 978 1499); Handleys Print Solutions (0161 430 8188/www.jrpuzzles.info), which prints a veritable Louvre museum of artworks from cocker spaniels to Constables; Harry Broadley and Sons (Keith on 01405 762035, www.bp.ukf.net).

Q Health and safety guys have spotted we are missing a guard on our Brehmer stitcher. However, the UK dealer GHE no longer exists, nor it seems does the manufacturer Brehmer. Can you help? The machine itself works fine.
Lawrence Dalton, 1st Byte Print

A Brehmer was initially bought from Treuhand (the agency which privatised former East German enterprises) by US bindery machine manufacturer McCain and then taken over by Stahl in the mid-1990s before becoming part of Heidelberg in 1998. Since then, Heidelberg has developed a new range of machines based on the Brehmer stitchers; first the ST100, then the ST350 and the ST400. Some parts are still available for old Brehmers. Contact Steve Rickman at Heidelberg UK with as much information as possible – part number, model type and serial number – and he’ll try to track down what you need. Alternatively, if you have no luck, I spoke to Steve Giddins at Perfect Bindery Solutions and he says they can make a new guard to the specs you require – or even replace your stitcher if needed.

Workflow worries? Problems with your press? Then email printweek.helpline@haymarket.com